Monthly Archives: January 2016

The Nissan LEAF is the best-selling all-electric vehicle on the planet, with almost 200,000 models sold since its launch in 2010. In the first five years of the Nissan LEAF, the world has seen immense changes in the way we think about electric vehicles. Now, at the start of 2016, electric power is more relevant and popular than ever, and no small part of that is thanks to the widespread excellence and popularity of the Nissan LEAF.

As stated, the Nissan LEAF hit American streets in December of 2010. The name LEAF stands for Leading Environmentally-friendly Affordable Family car; while it’s not the smoothest acronym, it sure does get the point across. Nissan’s research into battery electric power has been underway for a long while, but it first came to public attention at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in 1997 when Nissan released its all-electric Nissan Altra. Nissan had the technology to manufacture electric vehicles, but not the ability to do so in a way to make it affordable for the average consumer–until the Nissan LEAF.

In the five years of the Nissan LEAF, a lot has changed. The price of the LEAF’s lithium battery has dropped from $18,000 USD to about $300 USD per unit. Electric vehicles and charging stations have spread across the nation. The future is looking brighter–and cleaner! We can’t wait to see what Nissan will bring us in the next five years.

Four Nissan models have received IIHS Top Safety ratings. Is this a big deal? Yes! Why? Because the IIHS (or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) is one of the strictest and prestigious safety associations in America, and getting the nod from them is like an automotive medal of honor. And Nissan racked up a whopping four.

The 2016 Nissan Rogue and the 2016 Nissan Sentra were both named IIHS Top Safety Picks, meaning that they ranked “Good” or higher in all five of the IIHS’s crashworthiness test categories.

The 2016 Nissan Maxima and the 2016 Nissan Murano each earned the highest of the IIHS Top Safety ratings: the Top Safety Pick+. To earn that coveted little plus-sign, a vehicle must not only earn those five “Good” ratings, but also score and “Advanced” or “Superior” in front crash prevention systems.

2016 Nissan Maxima – A Top Safety Pick+

What does this mean for Nissan drivers across America? Just that they can feel really good–and really safe–every time they get behind the wheel.